My Solemn Duty as an Engineer:
On Racism

I just turned down what would have been quite a lucrative contract to
develop a Mac OS X device driver for a hardware manufacturer in Tucson,
Arizona. Following is my email to the recruiter I was working through, as
well as to the client's engineering manager.

It was not easy to write this letter, or even to reach the decision to
write it, as I really do need the work.

I'm very sorry, I really am, but I've got some bad news for both you.
Please understand that I do understand that none of this is the fault
either of your companies, your coworkers or of yourselves personally.

I was reminded of the Arizona Anti-Immigration law by the front page
of today's New York Times. The United States Supreme Court just
agreed to hear the Obama Administration's lawsuit seeking to overturn
it. ("Court to Weigh Arizona Statute on Immigration", The New York
Times, Tuesday, December 13 2011, page 1.)

The fact that I am such a good software engineer, and that my work has
been so very highly regarded and for so long, has a lot more to do
with my ethics than any amount of experience or education. I write
good code because I feel that is the right thing to do, but I am also
quite widely known for resigning in storms of fiery protest when my
employers, clients or colleagues act unethically, do not represent the
interests of our end-users, or threaten the lives, health or safety of
the public.

My colleauges quite commonly criticize me for failing to be a "Team
Player". But I regard my failure to be a Team Player as quite likely
the most valuable contribution I will EVER be able to make to society.

We would all be better off if there were fewer Team Players. Consider
for example that during the 1930s, many "Guter Deutschers" - that was
the German term for "Team Player" back in the day - failed to heed the
dictates of their consciences and so not only failed to stop but
actually encouraged Hitler's rise to power.

For that reason, I cannot in good conscious set foot in the State of
Arizona, purchase any product manufactured in Arizona, avail myself of
any service performed in Arizona, or contribute in any way to the
success of any business in Arizona until that appallingly racist law
is overturned by the United States Supreme Court, or, failing that,
the people of Arizona Get A God Damn Clue about the incredibly
selfless contributions that the proud, beautiful and hard-working
Latin American people make to the economy, culture, and society of the
United States of America.

I am not at all Hispanic myself but many of those I am close to are.
I spent most of my life in predominantly Hispanic parts of California.
I live in the Pacific Northwest now but there are many Hispanic
people here as well.

Two of the greatest loves of my life were fiery, hot-blooded Latin
Lovers. The first true love I ever knew was French and Spanish; the
finest love I have ever known, while a born-and-raised American
Citizen, was the full-blooded Mexican daughter of two immigrant farm
workers from the Central Valley of California.

She looks just like an Aztec Princess, and has no need to carry any
kind of immigration document on her person, but if she lives in
Arizona rather than California she would be subjected to harassment
under the color of authority, and quite likely deported to Mexico for
no other reason than that she has olive skin and an Aquiline nose.

That's Just Wrong.

Only once have I been called upon to do my duty as an engineer yet
failed to heed the dictates of my conscience.

I resigned in protest from a highly paid position as a Principal
Software Engineer at Applied Micro Circuits
Corporation of Sunnyvale, California,
California. They knew very well that I was getting ready to go to the
press over management refusal to test our
3ware 9690SA hardware RAID controllers
under the same software configuration as our end-users
actually used, despite my having quite sternly pointed out all kinds
of ways that such inadequate testing could lead to end-user data loss,
or even the loss of human life.

The company was able to purchase my silence for thirty-five thousand dollars
as I was then still providing for my ex-wife, and had no other job
prospects. I was furious to learn a few months later that AMCC had
sold its entire 3ware hardware RAID division to
LSI.
I cannot be certain, but I expect that my thirty-five thousand dollar "severance pay" was
meant to prevent LSI from ever finding out that their Quality
Assurance and device driver development practices were not up to
industry standards.

For that reason, despite never having violated any manner of legal
contract in my entire life, I recently decided that despite the fact
that AMCC will no doubt haul me into court,
and I have no hope whatsoever of defending myself in that court, I will soon
raise all manner of Hell about my former employer's ethical lapse.

But you can be certain that I will return every penny of my severance
pay. I NEVER should have accepted it, and am still quite deeply
ashamed that I ever did.

My Letter of Resignation follows below.

I had no idea that I would receive a penny of severance when
I wrote that letter. I did not expect it and I did not ask for it.
It was only after I resigned that their Senior Human Resource Manager
Sue Depositar offered it to me. Had I spent more time considering her
offer than just the few minutes remaining during my Exit Interview, I
expect I would have refused it.

I must reiterate that I do not blame Arizona's Institutional Racism in
any way on either of you two gentlemen, on $AGENCY, on
$CLIENT or on any of those who work for either of your fine
companies. I know very, very well that many Arizona residents are
doing everything in their power to overturn the Arizona
anti-immigration law, and hope the two of you will find some way to do
your part.

I am of course happy to continue working with both of you provided
that by doing so, I do not contribute in any way to the economic
prosperity of Arizona during the time that the state persists in its
foolhardy course.